United States Pacific Dependencies - Guam

The largest and most populous of the Mariana Islands in the Western
Pacific, Guam (13° 28′ n and 144° 44′ e) has
an area, including land and water, of 540 sq km (208 sq mi) and is about
48 km (30 mi) long and from 6 to 12 km (4–7 mi) wide. The island
is of volcanic origin; in the south, the terrain is mountainous, while
the northern part is a plateau with shallow fertile soil. The central
part of the island (where the capital, Agana, is located) is undulating
country.

Guam lies in the typhoon belt of the Western Pacific and is occasionally
subject to widespread storm damage. In May 1976, a typhoon with winds of
306 km/hr (190 mph) struck Guam, causing an estimated $300 million in
damage and leaving 80% of the island's buildings in ruins. Guam
has a tropical climate with little seasonal variation. Average
temperature is 26° c (79° f); rainfall is substantial,
reaching an annual average of more than 200 cm (80 in). Endangered
species include the giant Micronesian kingfisher and Marianas crow.

The mid-2002 population, excluding transient US military and civilian
personnel and their families, was estimated at 160,796, an increase over
the 1986 estimate of 117,500. The increase was attributed largely to the
higher birthrate and low mortality rate. The present-day Chamorro, who
comprise about 37% of the permanent resident population, descend from
the intermingling of the few surviving original Chamorro with the
Spanish, Filipino, and Mexican settlers, plus later arrivals from the
United States, United Kingdom, Korea, China, and Japan. Filipinos (26%)
are the largest ethnic minority. English is the official language,
although Chamorro is taught in the primary schools. The predominant
religion is Roman Catholicism.

The earliest known settlers on Guam were the original Chamorro, who
migrated from the Malay Peninsula to the Pacific around 1500 bc. When
Ferdinand Magellan landed on Guam in 1521, it is believed that as many
as 100,000 Chamorro lived on the island; by 1741, their numbers had been
reduced to 5,000— most of the population either had fled the
island or been killed through disease or war with the Spanish. A Spanish
fort was established in 1565, and from 1696 until 1898, Guam was under
Spanish rule.

Under the Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War in 1898,
the island was ceded to the United States and placed under the
jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy. During World War II, Guam
was occupied by Japanese forces; the United States recaptured the island
in 1944 after 54 days of fighting. In 1950, the island's
administration was transferred from the Navy to the US Department of the
Interior. Under the 1950 Organic Act of Guam, passed by the US Congress,
the island was established as an unincorporated territory of the United
States; Guamanians were granted US citizenship, and internal
self-government was introduced.

The governor and lieutenant governor have been elected directly since
1970. A 15-member unicameral legislature elected for two years by adult
suffrage is empowered to legislate on all local matters, including
taxation and appropriations. The US Congress reserves the right to annul
any law passed by the Guam legislature, but must do so within a year of
the date it receives the text of any such law.

Judicial authority is vested in the district court of Guam, and appeals
may be taken to the regular US courts of appeal and ultimately to the US
Supreme Court. An island superior court and other specialized courts
have jurisdiction over certain cases arising under the laws of Guam. The
judge of the district court is appointed by the US president; the judges
of the other courts are appointed by the governor. Guam's laws
were codified in 1953.

Guam is one of the most important US military bases in the Pacific, and
the island's economy has been profoundly affected by the large
sums of money spent by the US defense establishment. During the late
1960s and early 1970s, when the United States took the role of a major
combatant in the Viet-Nam conflict, Guam served as a base for long-range
US bombers on sorties over Indochina. In 2001, there were 3,398
active-duty US military personnel stationed on the island.

Prior to World War II, agriculture and animal husbandry were the primary
activities. By 1947, most adults were wage earners employed by the US
armed forces, although many continued to cultivate small plots to
supplement their earnings. Since World War II, agriculture has generally
contributed less than 1% of the GNP, partly because a considerable
amount of arable land is taken up by military installations. Fruits and
vegetables are grown and pigs and poultry are raised for local
consumption, but most food is imported. Current fish catches are
insufficient to meet local demand.

Tourism has become a major industry and sparked a boom in the
construction industry in the mid-1980s. The number of visitors grew
rapidly from 6,600 in 1967 to around one million per year in the early
2000s, 90% of whom come from Japan. The stagnation in the Japanese
economy since the early 1990s slowed the growth of Guam's tourism
sector.

The Guam Rehabilitation Act of 1963 has funded the territory's
capital improvement program. Further allocations in 1969 and 1977
provided over $120 million for additional capital improvements and
development of the island's power installations. More than $200
million of federal funds were authorized for typhoon relief in
1977–78. Total expenditures by the government of Guam were $431
million in 2000; revenues were $420 million.

Guam's foreign trade usually shows large deficits. The bulk of
Guam's trade is with the United States, Micronesia, and Japan.

US income tax laws are applicable in Guam; all internal revenue taxes
derived by the United States from Guam are paid into the
territory's treasury. US customs duties, however, are not levied.
Guam is a duty-free port. In its trade with the US mainland, Guam is
required to use US shipping.

Typical tropical diseases are practically unknown today in Guam.
Tuberculosis, long the principal killer, was brought under control by
the mid-1950s. The Guam Memorial Hospital has a capacity of 192 beds.
Village dispensaries serve both as public health units and first-aid
stations. In addition, there are a number of physicians in private
practice. Specialists from the US Naval Hospital in Guam, assisting on a
part-time basis, have made possible a complete program of curative
medicine.

School attendance is compulsory from the age of 6 through 16. In
1998/99, 31,860 pupils were enrolled in public elementary and secondary
schools. The University of Guam enrolled 3,748 students in 1998/99, and
Guam Community College enrolled 4,404 students in the fall of 1998.